A Weekend in Which I do no Knitting.

None. Not even a single stitch. Shocking, isn't it?

So, you may be asking, if I didn't do any knitting, what did I do all weekend? In addition to the chores and errands necessary to keep up the appearances of being a functioning adult, I sewed.

I've been on a mission lately (several weeks now), to de-clutter my place. I don't think I have a lot of stuff to begin with, but much of it isn't well organized, and I know that some of it, I really don't need. So as part of de-cluttering, every few weeks (largely as I have the time and motivation), I go through some particular aspect of my belongings, and give it a thorough sorting and organizing. Anything I don't need/wear/use gets thrown out or donated. Everything else gets put away neatly. A few weeks ago, I did my closet. This weekend, I tackled a corner of my office. Yes, just a corner - it's a slow process. One can't rush these things, you know. The corner I picked was the one with my sewing table. I use the term loosely, since prior to Saturday, I hadn't once used it as such, but it did hold the sewing machine. And a bunch of stuff.

Incredibly, much of the stuff on the sewing table was sewing related, specifically projects that I'd left out in the hopes that looking at them sitting there unfinished would inspire (guilt being more likely) me to do something about them, like actually finish them. Well, it turns out that all I really needed was a tropical storm to keep me trapped inside:


(Hanna dumped all kinds of rain on Saturday - I don't think this picture accurately conveys just how wet it was.)

So I sewed. I hemmed and hung curtains. I fixed a sweater (store-bought, an underarm seam had come undone) and a blouse (somehow, the button band had come unstitched near the collar). I lined a headband (the ear-warmer sort). But mostly, I turned this:


into this:


The first is exactly what it looks like - a pile of fabric sitting on a chair. The second is two quilt tops and backs (sitting on the ironing board), just not assembled to each other yet. These are to be quilts for my former roommates - one who loves blue


and one who really likes orange.


The plan for next weekend is to attach the backs and quilt them!

Blue Scarves

So, you may remember a while (like early-July) back, I scored some blue wool for charity knitting. It turned out that the wool was quite nice to knit with, and made two lovely blue scarves. (It would be odd if the scarves had turned out some other color...)

Exhibit A: The Long Miter


This was a fantastically easy, yet somehow not completely mind-numbing knit.
Recipe:
Cast on an odd number of stitches (I think I had 37).
Row 1: Kfb, knit to one stitch before center stitch, do a double decrease (I slip two stitches together, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over), knit to last stitch, kfb.
Row 2: Knit.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you're running low on yarn. Then continue, but instead of kfb, just knit the first and last stitches in row 1.
Continue until you've got one stitch left. Pull yarn through this stitch to bind off. Weave in ends.

Exhibit B: An Easy Bias Scarf, with a Hint of Lace


This is ever-so-slightly less easy than the Long Miter. For this scarf, you have to be able to knit, purl, and not be scared of a yarn over.
Recipe:
Cast on 2 stitches.
Setup:
Kfb, K1, turn.
Kfb, K2, turn.
Kfb, K3, turn.
Kfb, K4, turn.
Increase section:
Row 1: K3, YO, K3.
Row 2: K3, P1, K3.
Row 3: K3, YO, K1, YO, K3.
Row 4: K3, P3, K3.
Row 5: K3, YO, K3, YO, K3.
Row 6: K3, P5, K3.
Continue in pattern until scarf is desired width.
Middle section:
Row 1: K2, SSK, YO, K2tog, knit to last 3 stitches, YO, K3.
Row 2: K3, purl to last 3 stitches, K3.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until scarf is desired length or you're running low on yarn.
Decrease section:
Row 1: K2, SSK, YO, K2tog, knit to last 6 stitches, SSK, YO, K2tog, K2.
Row 2: K3, purl to last 3 stitches, K3.
Continue until you have 11 stitches left.
Ending:
Row 1: K2, SSK, YO, S1 k2tog psso, YO, K2tog, K2.
Row 2: K3, P3, K3.
Row 3: K2, SSK, YO, K3tog, K2.
Row 4: K3, P1, K3.
Row 5: K2, S1 k2tog psso, K2.
Row 6: K5.
Row 7: SSK, K1, K2tog.
Row 8: K3.
Row 9: S2KPsso (slip two stitches together, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over).
Pull yarn through last stitch.
Finishing: Weave in ends. Block. Blocking is especially important to keep this one from curling up.

Catching my breath

I'm back. I had a lovely trip to Denver, although I did not make it to the Lamb Shoppe (this is probably because none of my girl friends are fiber addicts like me). The trip was the first time we'd all gotten together since we graduated over two years ago, but in many ways, it was like we'd never been apart. In short, it was a weekend full of much talking and giggling, and it was a fantastic time. And to top it off, not only did one of my dearest friends get married, I got the gift done in time!


Ballband dish cloths in Peaches and Creme worsted weight, colors white and shaded blue. I think I had them done about 12 hours before the wedding. (Apologies for the lousy photo - it was around midnight in a hotel room kitchenette - the lighting was bad and the counter ugly, but it was the best I could do.)

Since I'm still trying to recover from all the travel/work/school work/life as an adult, I'm going to keep it short tonight and save the scarves for later. I'm not going anywhere this weekend, though, so there's the possibility that I might even get to relax a bit...

Overcome by events

So, the last two weeks or so, I've been pretty much completely overcome by events. Work has been absolutely nuts (staying until 9:30pm really isn't my idea of a good time), there's a huge looming deadline for class work (which I've been studiously ignoring), and there's my social life -I had a friend staying with me last weekend, and I've spent this weekend visiting Mr. Darcy, which has been completely wonderful. In fact, the only reason I can justify blogging right now, is that I'm sitting in an airport, waiting for my plane that was supposed to have taken off almost an hour ago and isn't even here yet. They tell me that I have another hour and a half to wait.

But despite the crazy hectic blur that is my life of late, I have managed to do some knitting. Although I've kind of fallen down on the job when it comes to photographing said knitting.

I've worked on the second Bayerische sock - I'm almost done with the leg. No picture, though.

I knit two of four wash cloths (again, no pictures) that I'm planning to be a gift for my friend who's getting married on Saturday. I have a couple of commutes and a flight to Denver between now and then. I can totally get them done. (Please don't disillusion me. Clinging to the illusion of hopeful competency is much better than falling victim to the pit of despair.)

And I've been knitting scarves.

I've knit a scarf and part of a second (no pictures of either) out of Patons Soy Wool Stripes, and I'm pretty pleased with the yarn. It's soft and has nice color changes. It's reasonably consistent in thickness, although there has been a frustratingly high number of knots (two or three so far in four balls). Even so, it's great yarn, especially when one factors in the price.

And I knit the Chinese wool (thanks, Nicole, for confirming that it's wool!) into two scarves - a large mitery thing (no picture) and an easy, bias-knit scarf. There actually are photos of the bias-knit scarf, but the free wi-fi in the airport won't let me get to Flickr to get the photo so that I can post it here.

Perhaps I should take this as a sign that I should be working on my project for class instead of blogging... I expect I'll be back with pictures in a week or so - I just have to survive the week and a whirlwind trip to Denver next weekend. Easy, right?

It was a dark and stormy night...

On Saturday, I got an email from one of my friends along the lines of "Ack! The wedding's in three weeks, what are you getting them?!" To which my reaction was, "Ack! I have no idea! I wonder if I have time to knit dish cloths?"

So, I'm thinking, three weeks, four dish cloths - I already have cotton yarn on hand, so this should be easy! (Thinking that something is going to be easy is usually a nice bit of ironic foreshadowing. I should have known better.) I pulled out the yarn, and went to find needles. Now, I'm pretty sure I own at least one size 7 circular, since I've made dish cloths before, but I couldn't find one for the life of me. I checked the needle stash. I tossed the yarn dresser and the yarn closet. I went through all of the bags in which I'd stuck yarn while traveling at any point in the past few months. No needles.

Okay, the needle situation can be rectified. It just means a trip to my LYS. I had errands to run on Sunday after church anyway, so I just added the LYS to my list (it wasn't even out of my way). Sunday afternoon a thunderstorm rolled through (the only part of the story that was literally dark and stormy), which made it hard to do what I probably should have done.

What I should have done was written down on a sticky note the size and kind of needles I wanted, flagged down some passerby, given them the sticky note and a twenty, and told them they could keep the change if they went in and got the needles for me. That's what I should have done. But did I? No. Of course not.

No, I thought to myself, "It's just needles. I won't even fondle any yarn. I can be strong." In short, I lied to myself. Although, to be fair, I did make it to the needle wall and pick out what I needed without fondling any yarn, but somewhere between there and the cash register, I was overcome by wool fumes. It's the only explanation for how I went in just for needles and came out with these:


Watershed, by the Neighborhood Fiber Co. in Truxton Circle (the colorway). It's a wool/seacell blend that's fantastically soft. And given that I have a distinct fascination with seacell (I love the way it smells like the ocean still), a love of all things purple, and a weakness for local dyers, I suppose I had zero chance of making it out of the shop without this.


Penthouse Silk Lace, also by the Neighborhood Fiber Co. in Randle Circle. It's a two-ply lace-weight in 100% silk and one of the softest things I've ever touched. Plus I absolutely adore the silvery-blue colors and the way it seems to shimmer, even in the hank. When I touched this yarn, I couldn't help but dream about how wonderful a silk stole this would make and how fantastic it would feel on bare arms and shoulders. And I knew that if I didn't get it, someone else would, and I would be plagued with doubt and regret.

But first, I should probably go work on those dish cloths...

I like socks.

I had a friend in high school who would fill awkward pauses with the statement, "I like rice." As a question, it was useful for diffusing tension: there's nothing for breaking up a frivolous but heated argument quite like, "um, I like rice?"

Anyway, I like socks.


I like plain socks.


I like blue socks.


I like wool socks.


I like warm socks.


I like socks.

From the top: Jane Doe socks in Regia Stretch. John Doe socks in Mirasol Hacho, colorwarys Midnight Velvet and Northern Lights. All three pairs were knit from the Jane and John Doe Socks pattern by me and available on Ravelry.

Chinese for wool?

My church is collecting hand knit and crochet scarves for the homeless. To encourage people to participate, they're even providing yarn for those who want it. Since I like knitting and doing good, I stopped by to get some yarn. It was mostly acrylic in various colors and qualities, but I was fortunate enough to find some much maligned wool in the stash. At least, I think it's wool. It certainly feels like wool, but the labels are in Chinese.



Does anybody read Chinese? Can you tell me what this yarn is? Brand? Fiber content? I'd be grateful for any light you can shed on this.

Looking on the bright side

If I'm not my usual, chipper self for the next few weeks, I beg your kind indulgence. I'm going through a bit of a challenging transition right now. You see, Mr. Darcy might actually more appropriately be called Captain Wentworth. He has gone off (under Navy orders that were decided long before we started dating) to seek his fortune. So, like a long list of Navy wives and sweethearts before me, I find myself necessarily left behind. Fortunately, modern communication and transportation mean that we'll be able to talk to and see each other far more often than Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth.

And in the meantime, I'm looking on the bright side and thinking about all the time I have for my things that I didn't before. All the things I'll be able to catch up on, and finish, and start, maybe.

I pulled out Picovoli from the WIP drawer - it's almost finished. Just needs cap sleeves and sewing of the hems.


Remember my first sock? In what is possibly a miraculous recovery from second sock syndrome, I've started it's mate.


I started new lace. This is the Arabesque stole in Jojoland lace-weight.


This pile of fabric? It's destiny is to become two 9-patch quilts - one in red, one in blue.


And then of course, there's my rather lengthy queue on Ravelry, my venture in spinning, and a couple thousand pages of reading I'd like to do. So really, I don't think there's the slightest risk of my being bored. In fact, I might even come to enjoy the extra time to myself...

On the bandwagon

There seem to be some things that every knitter knits at least once. A scarf, a hat, a sock, a baby surprise jacket. And until one has knit those things, one may be faced with many crises of self doubt - am I a real knitter? Can I call myself a real knitter when I haven't knit (fill in the blank)? In almost every case, the answer is yes, you are a real knitter, even if all you've ever made are garter stitch scarves. That notwithstanding, it can be deeply satisfying to knit those items that seem to make "real knitters."

Now, I've never really questioned my credentials as a knitter (at least, not much), but that hasn't kept me from feeling woefully left behind a time or two. Like when it seemed everyone in the blogosphere was on Ravelry and I wasn't. And I'm still sad that I missed the Tulip Jacket rage. But I did recently knit one of those "everybody knits it at least once" items. I made my first baby surprise jacket:


It's knit out of Baby Ull, held double on size five (I think, it was a while ago) needles. The buttons are the small bear buttons from Schoolhouse Press.


The pattern is delightful and ingenious, if a little hard to follow at first. And I don't know that it's possible to say enough wonderful things about Meg Swansen's video guide. All in all, it was great fun to knit, and I'm sure I will knit many more in my time as a Knitter.

Back by popular demand

I won't even try to explain (in detail) what I've been up to for the past several months instead of blogging. There's been work, chores, school work, travel, volleyball, dancing, more travel, more dancing, and lots and lots of time with Mr. Darcy. There have even been some fiber-related activities. In short, I've been busy (I'm not sure that word adequately conveys how much I've been doing), and blogging hasn't quite made it to the top of the to-do list. But thanks to several factors (things settling down a little, Mr. Darcy's being out of town, being informed that I've been missed in the blogosphere - this was particularly touching - and the alignment of the planets), I'm back. And I think (no promises, especially given my track record) it will be on a regular and somewhat frequent basis!

Unfortunately, as behind as I am on blogging, I'm just as behind on going through photographs of my yarn, knitting, and other fiber endeavors. So it'll be a while for me to catch up. And it means that tonight, instead of writing about recent knitting, I'm going to tell you about my new hobby, because it's the only thing that's got a picture ready to go.

For well over a year now, I've been thinking about spinning. I really like the magic of knitting and all of the things you can do with yarn and sticks. But I'm also fascinated by the yarn itself, and how it gets to be the way that it is. One of the manifestations of this was my foray into dying (there are plans for more). Another manifestation is my interest in spinning. I'm deeply intrigued by the process that turns fluff into usable yarn.

For Christmas, my mom gave me a drop spindle kit that consisted of a small drop spindle and about half an ounce of purple roving. When I opened it, I immediately had to give this spinning business a try, and so sat there spinning until I'd turned that half ounce of roving into this:


It's not enough to knit into anything, really, so I'm just going to put it on a loop of fishing line and call it a Christmas tree ornament.

About a week ago, I got the spindle back out and started on some new yarn, but pictures will have to wait. And, even more exciting, I discovered that there's a yarn shop/fiber artist school only a few miles from me. I can't wait to take some classes and learn to really spin!

A Harlot moment

So, I'm blogging on the road. Well, not literally. But I'm in Boston for the weekend, visiting one of my dearest friends. It should be a fantastic weekend of seeing the sights (I somehow lived here for four years without managing to get pictures of any of it...), a bit of yarn, and some really excellent catching up.

I had a moment in the airport, though, that I just have to share. I'd gotten off the plane and was walking through the terminal. My ears still needed to pop, though, so I was fishing around in my bag for the gum that I was sure I'd stuck in it. As I'm rummaging unsuccessfully, a couple of men call out, "Um, excuse me, you dropped your yarn." I'd manage to knock the ball of sock yarn out of my bag (the sock was still in the bag, though), and was, at that point, trailing about forty feet of yarn. One of the men very nicely picked up the ball and handed it to me, while the other tried really hard not to laugh. I did laugh, though, since the only other alternative would have been mortal embarrassment.

I wonder how long it would have taken me to notice if they hadn't said something...

Um... hello?

Anybody there? I wouldn't blame you at all if you aren't. I mean, it's my blog, and I haven't even been here in an embarrassingly long time.

But if you are there, you'll be happy to know that although I've fallen off the face of the blogosphere, I haven't actually fallen off the face of the planet. In fact, aside from my utter lack of blogging, I'm doing pretty fantastically. I've just been unbelievably busy - take a look at what's on my plate:
1. Work - typically I spend 12 hours a week day either at work or getting to/from it
2. Grad class - lots of math I can handle, teaching myself C++ is quite a trick, though. And it's a time sink, since it's sucked up something on the order of 12-15 hours a week.
3. Dancing - I've been spending one or two evenings a week swing dancing. It's the bees knees.
4. Fundamentals of Engineering - the exam is in just over two weeks and I am so sick of studying for it. And by studying, I mean relearning everything I haven't thought about in four years.
5. Mr. Darcy - possibly the real reason that I haven't been knitting (much) or blogging (at all) is that I've been spending nearly every free waking moment (and probably a few that aren't free) with a gentleman we'll call Mr. Darcy.

Good news for blogging, though: I just got a spiffy new laptop that is way faster than my desktop, in addition to being more happily compatible with such things as my camera, and a million times more portable. So, despite the fact that I don't know where in my average week I'll find the time (I've been thinking lately that sleep is vastly overrated. Actually, even when I was really little, I didn't like sleeping since I was convinced that if I was asleep, I'd miss something interesting.), but I think there's a pretty good chance that I'll be going back to semi-regular blogging. I'm thinking once a week would be a pretty good start. And then maybe twice, post FE.

So, even though I've completely blown my New Year's resolutions about commenting and blogging frequency, there's still the possibility of meeting the one about real fiber content. Even though I have been doing some knitting, I don't have any pictures of it (they're all on the other computer still). Instead, I give you my oldest WIP:


The beginnings of a Twisted Bargello quilt that I started 8 or 9 years ago. I really like the pattern, and I love the colors I chose, and really, I think it will look awesome finished. I just haven't had any sewing motivation in ages. And at the moment, my machine is buried under yarn, so it'll be a while yet before I get to it. But it's on the list!

Not according to plan

I didn't intend to let another week go by without blogging. In fact, I'd planned to blog last Thursday, but due to circumstances beyond my control (from Thursday evening through Sunday evening, I was unpleasantly ill), I had to shift my planned blogging time, and in the end, for various reasons, it turns out that today is my earliest opportunity to sit down and produce something for this establishment of mine.

For reasons closely related to my not blogging, I also haven't been knitting much. And to make matters worse, I have no good pictures of the few things I have been working on. Fortunately, I have a four-day weekend coming up, so I should be able to get in some good blogging, as well as catch up on the other things in my life that convince people I'm a civilized adult (laundry, vacuuming, etc.).

As I recall, about six weeks ago, I made a resolution about there being real fiber content in every post. Now, it turns out that there are actually several things I could present here: some very pretty yarn sitting on my floor, the very lovely laceweight I acquired a few weeks ago, my first venture into the world of the inimitable EZ, my oldest WIP, or what is likely to become my newest obsession. But for various reasons (mostly the aforementioned lack of pictures), instead you get... more socks!

Are you not just thrilled?

I finished the Hawaii Jaywalkers (finally. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I started them back in August).


The original idea with these socks was that they would be a KAL with my chief enabler (CE). But I was moving/traveling/losing my mind in August and was in desperate need of something simple to knit with yarn that wasn't boxed up and sitting in storage somewhere. So I started (and finished, I think) without my CE, which I guess means we'll have to pick something else to do as a KAL.

I really like the way the pattern knits up and does nice things with variegated yarns. And I really like Lorna's Laces - it's such a smooth, soft, well-behaved yarn. I'm not such a fan of this particular colorway, though. It's a bit too heavy on the bright green for my tastes, but fortunately, I know lots of people (probably 2) whose feet are the same size as mine and who would wear socks with this much bright green.


But come to think of it, I do like them inside out...

Topsy Turvy

Sorry for disappearing from the blogosphere for almost two weeks! I have some excuse, though, I think.

You know how sometimes you're going along, and every thing's going more or less predictably and you feel completely in control of your life? (I suspect that this may be a feeling that disappears forever once one has children. I don't actually know, though.) But then something happens, and it turns out that you really aren't at all in control of your life and that whatever you thought things were, they're actually completely different? That's been my life of the past 4 to 6 weeks, in a good way. At the beginning of January, I thought I had everything in control in terms of work, school, and my rather limited social life. Now, I'm grateful that I'm not actually in charge of my life, since work is better than expected, my grad class is not what I expected, and socially things are so much better than I could have wished for. The only downside to good work, lots of class, and the revival of my obsession with dancing? Not so much time for knitting.

But I have been knitting!

I finished the Monkey socks for my sister.


I'm really pleased with the way they turned out. I really liked the yarn, in terms of the way it behaved, the way it felt, and most especially in the color.


And the Monkey pattern is a delightful one. As far as I am concerned, its best attribute is that it has enough stretches of knit stitches that it can be knit while doing other things, but that the purl bits do a fantastic job of breaking up the monotony if you're just knitting.

On the topic of purls, someone (Kathy maybe?) asked if I had trouble with laddering at the needle changes in purl stitch. I don't, and I think I know why (let's not dwell on how long I spent analyzing my own knitting technique to figure this out).

When I knit, I start a new needle by sticking it under the other needles and into the stitch, like this:


But when I purl, I start the new needle by bringing it over the old needle and under the one that has the stitch I'm about to purl, like this:


The result is that in each case, the working yarn has the least distance possible to go between needles, and therefore less opportunity to ladder.

As you can tell, I've started a sock, but if I tell you about it (and the other knitting I've been doing) now, two things will happen: 1) I'll be up much later than I'd like (I haven't gone to bed before 11 in over a week, and I get up at 5ish on weekdays, so you can understand why I'm ranking sleep so high on the list tonight) and 2) I won't have anything to blog about for the next few days (as I said, I really haven't been knitting that much - it'd be a shame to blow it all on one post).

So, tune in next time for a mystery episode. Will it be socks? Scarfs? Argyle? Baby sweaters? A baby blanket? Only time will tell.

The last of 2007

I was going to blog about socks today. The sock knitting has been pretty good lately - two finished pairs, and a new one (of my own design!) started, even. But despite the good sock knitting mojo, the sock blogging mojo has gone missing. So instead, I'll catch up on the last of my 2007 knitting. (It's already embarrassing that I've let it go this long. It would be really embarrassing if I let it go until February.)

Before Christmas, I went on a washcloth-knitting rampage. My goal was to make three sets of 4 washcloths each - one for my mom, one for my aunt, and one for my grandma. I didn't quite make it.

I got a set done for my aunt (yarn - white and lilac ombre, worsted weight, Peaches & Creme):


I got a set done for my grandmother (yarn - white and winterberry ombre, worsted weight, Peaches & Creme):


I got half a set done for my mother (yarn - black and blackwatch ombre, worsted weight, Peaches & Creme). Fortunately, she's a knitter too, and since I also got her yarn, she really didn't care that I had only half her gift done.


The Christmas knitting also included the socks I didn't finish for my youngest sister, and a scarf for my middle sister. The scarf?


Clapotis, knit from Lorna's Laces Swirl DK Multi, colorway Flames. I think I knit it on size 5 needles, but I'm not sure, and I have absolutely no recollection of my gauge. But it was a fun pattern to knit (I modified it to make it narrower, and to make the columns of twisted stitches real columns of twisted stitches), and the Lorna's Laces Swirl DK is a very cool yarn.


Apparently, it's not just a pretty scarf, but a useful one too! (Makes me glad I live someplace not quite so cold...)


Maybe I'll blog about socks tomorrow...

How to show a sock a good time

In honor of my blog's birthday (it's a year old today!), I took my current sock-in-progress out to celebrate.

We went for a drive. I let it sit in front and pick the music. (It picked Afro Celt Sound System.)


We went and got chai (neither the sock nor I are coffee drinkers). The sock was very well-behaved, and even let the nice old man who said I reminded him of his mother hold it.


We went to a movie. We saw 27 Dresses, which turned out to be funny and sweet if disappointingly predictable, and which had (even for a chick flick) a couple of gaping plot holes. But it was fun. :)


And best of all, we went shopping. I even let the sock pick out some yarn. It picked two skeins of Wildfoote in the symphony colorway.


It was a good time.

The masses have spoken

Capitulating to popular demand, I give you the pattern for the cabled scarf and matching mittenettes:


Scarf

Yarn: Ram Wools, Inca Silk
Gauge: 22 stitches per 4 inches
Needles: Size 5 circulars or straights or size to obtain gauge (although it's a scarf, so gauge is optional)

Abbreviations:
C8F: Cable 8 front - slip next 4 sts onto a cable needle, hold at front of work, knit next 4 sts off left hand needle, knit sts off cable needle
C8B: Cable 8 back - slip next 4 sts onto a cable needle, hold at back of work, knit next 4 sts off left hand needle, knit sts off cable needle

Cast on 39 sts.
Row 1 (RS): K1P1 19 times. P1.
Row 2 (WS): Same as row 1.
Row 3: P1K1 19 times. K1.
Row 4: Same as row 3.
Row 5: K1P1 twice. P2, K12, P3, K12, P2. P1K1 twice.
Row 6: P1K1 twice. K2, P12, K3, P12, K2. K1P1 twice.
Row 7: P1K1 twice. P2, K4, C8F, P3, K4, C8B, P2. K1P1 twice.
Row 8: K1P1 twice. K2, P12, K3, P12, K2. P1K1 twice.
Rows 9 and 10: Same as rows 5 and 6.
Row 11: P1K1 twice. P2, C8B, K4, P3, C8F, K4, P2. K1P1 twice.
Row 12: Same as row 8.
Repeat rows 5-12 until scarf is desired length or you have run out of yarn. If you run out of yarn, frog last five or six rows.
Starting on a RS row, work 4 rows of double moss stitch as set from border.
Cast off. Weave in ends. Block lightly if desired.

Cable Mittenettes

Yarn: 1 Skein Ram Wools, Inca Silk
Gauge: 22 stitches per 4 inches
Needles: 1 set each of size 4 and size 5 DPNs or size to obtain gauge (on larger needles)

Abbreviations:
C4B: Cable 4 back - slip next2 sts onto cable needle and hold at back of work, knit next 2 sts from left needle, knit sts from cable needle
C4F: Cable 4 front - slip next2 sts onto cable needle and hold at front of work, knit next 2 sts from left needle, knit sts from cable needle
M1: Make 1 - I did this by picking up the bar between two stitches and knitting it through the back loop

Left Mittenette:
On smaller needles, cast on 41 sts. Join, being careful not to twist.
Cuff:
*Round 1: Work K1P1 over first 12 stitches. K12 (set up for cable). Work P1K1 over rest of round (23 sts).
Round 2: Work ribbing over first 12 sts. K2, C4B. Work ribbing over rest of round.
Round 3: Work as for round 1.
Round 4: Work ribbing over first 12 sts. C4F, K2. Work ribbing over rest of round.*
Repeat from * to * 5 times. This gives you 24 rows for the ribbed cuff.
Palm:
Switch to larger needles.
Round 1: K11, P1. Work cable as set. P1, K rest of round (22 sts).
Round 2 (increase round): K3, M1, K1, M1. Work rest of round as set.
Rounds 3 and 4: Knit, except work cable and accompanying purl stitches as set.
Round 5 (increase round): K4, M1, K1, M1. Work rest of round as set.
Continue as set, working an increase round every three rounds. Rounds 8, 11, 14, 17, and 20 will be increase rounds. After last increase rounds, work two more rounds as for rounds 3 and 4. (55 sts)
Round 23: K3. Place next 15 stitches on waste yarn. CO1 across gap, work the rest of the round as set. (41 sts)
Rounds 24, 25, 26: Knit, except work cable and accompanying purl stitches as set.
Switch to smaller needles.
Round 27: Work K1P1 over first 12 stitches. Work cable as set. Work P1K1 over rest of round.
Work 5 more rounds as for round 27. Bind off, using tubular bind-off.
Thumb:
Using smaller needles, pick up 15 stitches from waste yarn and 3 stitches from palm. Work 4 rounds of K1P1 ribbing. Bind off using tubular bind-off.
Finishing: Weave in ends. Block lightly if desired.

Right Mittenette:
Cast on and work cuff as for left mittenette.
Palm:
Switch to larger needles and work first round as for left mittenette.
Round 2 (increase round): K11, P1, work cable as set, P1, K7, M1, K1, M1, K rest of round.
Rounds 3 and 4: Knit, except work cable and accompanying purl stitches as set.
Round 5 (increase round): K11, P1, work cable as set, P1, K8, M1, K1, M1, K rest of round.
Continue as set, working an increase round every three rounds. Rounds 8, 11, 14, 17, and 20 will be increase rounds. After last increase rounds, work two more rounds as for rounds 3 and 4. (55 sts)
Round 23: Work first 26 stitches of round as set. Place next 15 stitches on waste yarn. CO1 across gap, K rest of the round. (41 sts)
Rounds 24, 25, 26: Knit, except work cable and accompanying purl stitches as set.
Switch to smaller needles.
Round 27: Work K1P1 over first 12 stitches. Work cable as set. Work P1K1 over rest of round.
Work 5 more rounds as for round 27. Bind off, using tubular bind-off.
Thumb:
Using smaller needles, pick up 15 stitches from waste yarn and 3 stitches from palm. Work 4 rounds of K1P1 ribbing. Bind off using tubular bind-off.
Finishing: Weave in ends. Block lightly if desired.

Please let me know if you have questions/comments/horrible and life-changing issues on these patterns. These are reconstructed from my scribbles on a sheet of engineering paper, and certainly not immune to error.

P.S. I'm afraid Inca Silk may have been discontinued, since it's not listed on Ram Wools' website. According to Ravelry (my ball bands are long gone, so we're going to go with what Ravelry has to say), it's a DK weight yarn that's 80% alpaca, 20% silk.

Distractions

I have no knitting to show you today. I did not finish the Monkey sock; in fact, it's only about three rounds further along than it was Thursday. The secret something is still secret and still taking over my desk. Miss Darcy's still on hold. I couldn't find good pictures of some of the catch-up FO's I was going to show you. And the scarf pattern is still a collection of scribbles on engineering paper, but I'll get it typed up in a day or two, I promise!

So to distract you from my utter lack of knitting, I'm going to show you pretty fiber.

First up: Jamieson & Smith Shetland Jumper Weight. This yarn was intended to become a couple of baby surprise jackets. It's nice wool, but it isn't superwash, and it's a little coarser than I think something going on a baby should be. So now it's strictly stash. It might be destined to become something felted. A purse maybe? Felted boxes? I'm not sure. But I desperately want to try felting.


It turns out that one of the best things about having other knitters in the family is that we all think yarn is a great gift. The rest of the yarns in this yarn parade were all gifts from my mom and middle sister (the youngest isn't quite into yarn yet, and we're still working on my dad).

Gift number 1 (and a complete surprise, which is pretty rare given the way my family does gift shopping): Rustic Wool by Queensland Collection. I have no idea what it's going to become, but that's all right. For now, I'm content to fondle this incredibly soft, squishy wool and look adoringly at its charmingly purple variegation.


Gift number 2 (also a surprise, but not so much, since I'd let it be known that I had something of a crush on these colors): Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Ice House (the multi) and Island Blue (the solid). I'm pretty sure these will become socks and that the little bits leftover will go into a blanket or hats or mittens or something. Or maybe I'll skip the socks and go straight to a blanket or a hat or mittens or something. Who knows? In any case, you really can't have too much sock yarn.


Gift number 3 (not a surprise at all, since I picked out the yarn, and then stood in line behind my mom so I could buy other yarn, which I think included a yarn gift for her. This is pretty much the usual way we shop for each other.): Wildfoote sock yarn by the Brown Sheep Company. For me, this is really branching out color-wise, since probably 95% of my yarn is black, blue or purple. (Egads - I just realized that my stash resembles a bruise more than anything else.) Perhaps surprisingly, given my usual color preferences, I'm quite enraptured with this yarn and have spent much time trying to figure out what sock pattern will best complement it.


Gift number 4 (also picked out by me, but still a bit of a surprise in the amount): Harlequin by Dale of Norway. The picture might be misleading, since I actually have 17 balls of this yarn - plenty for a sweater. For reasons unknown to me, I've been strangely attracted to tweeds lately (I can't remember ever being so before, and I can remember at times thinking tweeds were generally hideous, but clearly, I've gotten over that). This tweed is incredible. It's a blend of wool, microfiber, alpaca, cashmere, and viscose, and is positively hand-sucking. Plus, it comes in some very lovely colors. This will become a sweater for me at some point, but I don't have a pattern in mind yet.


And I think I'd better stop there. I'll probably get in trouble with the FCC or somebody if I show more yarn pr0n in a single post.

Playing Catch-up

I didn't know what to blog about today. My life currently makes for pretty poor blog fodder, and my knitting is either not very interesting or semi-secret. The Monkey sock has been my commuting knitting (I ride a bus and train to work) and my knitting-while-reading object. I started the last repeat today, and tomorrow should see the sock finished.


I did get the extra ball of yarn that I needed for Miss Darcy, but while I was waiting for it, I cast on something else, and that something else has sort of taken over my desk. For the sake, then, of what little sanity I have left, I am not working on Miss Darcy until I have finished the something and reclaimed my desk.


Unfortunately (for the blog) this something is for someone who knows about the blog (I don't think this person reads it regularly, so I'm willing to post this), so this will be the only picture until the recipient has the something in his/her possession.

And I thought that was all I had to blog about today, which really doesn't seem like very much or very interesting. Then I recalled that even though I disappeared from the blog for several months, I didn't completely quit knitting during that time. So there are other things I can talk about!

Remember this scarf that I started ages ago to go with these? Well, I finished it some time in November, I think.


Yarn: Ram Wools Inca Silk
Needles: Size 5, I think
Pattern: My own, possibly to appear here (would you like it?)


I love this scarf. It's narrow, so not so great for wear when you really need a scarf that you can pull over your mouth and nose and still cover your neck with, but it's much better at filling in the V between the lapels of my coat than any other scarf I've ever worn. (The mittenettes are pretty great, too.)

I know that wasn't much, but that wraps up this edition of Catch-up Blogging. Join us in our next episode when we discuss wash cloths, or maybe another scarf! I'll see you next time! (I loved that show!)